West Suffolk’s Anthony returns in style with victory at Stowmarket 5

BIG TURNOUT: A field of more than 400 runners took part in the Stowmarket Friday 5 race at Haughley Park. To view/purchase more pictures from the race, visit www.photos.iliffemedia.co.uk

Sebastian Anthony marked his first appearance in this year’s Friday 5 series with a victory at the Stowmarket Friday 5.

The West Suffolk Athletics Club member was the first of more than 400 runners to cross the finish line at Haughley Park on Friday.

Anthony completed the five-mile race, which this year used a new route incorporating local roads, in 26 minutes and 39 seconds.

Tavistock Run Project’s Adam Holland claimed second in 27:10, with Ipswich Jaffa’s Benjamin Turley rounding off the top three in 27:35.

Daisy Glover, of the Newmarket Joggers, was the first lady across the line in 29:37, while Samuel Burdett took the honour of being the first home runner from the Stowmarket Striders to finish in 28:32.

Ipswich Jaffa were the winning men’s team on the night, while St Edmunds Pacers, consisting of Odette Robson, Angela Joiner-Handy and Jessica Gooderham, were the top ladies team.

Chris Gladwell, the race organiser, said: “It was very successful. It was the first time we used a new route and we’ve had positive feedback on it from the runners who took part.

“The race had previously been based all at Haughley Park and off road, but we added a road route to help keep it more in line with the other races in the series.

“We had over 400 people finish the race, which is really great for us and for the series as a whole.”

The Friday 5 is a series consisting of six five-mile races, held on Friday evenings between May and July, across Suffolk and Essex, with last Friday’s meeting the penultimate race of the series.

The first five races of the series were held by Sudbury Joggers, Felixstowe RR, Framlingham Flyers, St Edmunds Pacers and Stowmarket Striders, with the final race to be staged by Great Bentley RC tonight.

Other winners of the Stowmarket 5 included the St Edmunds Pacers trio of Chris Cooke, Robson and Phil Hymers.

Cooke finished 10th overall in a time of 29:11, which landed him the MV55 title, while Robson (30:21) and Hymers (38:55) were first in the FV45 and MV65 categories respectively.

Joiner-Handy (31:28), of the St Edmunds Pacers, was second in the FV45 category, while West Suffolk’s Christine Anthony (35:05) was runner-up in the FV55 section.

Stowmarket Striders’ Mary Narey (36:41) took second in the FV50 category, with her club-mate Gillian Charlton (49:14) runner-up among the FV60 contingent.

John Cullum claimed another runners-up finish for the St Edmund Pacers, with a time of 46:45 earning him second place in the MV70+ category.